Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-04-10
A COLONY OF QUAKERs.
Purchase OF q Large Ranch Fol
Families OF stFriemds.,,

Some time ago q HERALD reporter
learned that number of families oi
"Quakers, or Friends" were desirous
OF establishing colony in California,
and that a gentleman highly connected
with the sect was then travelling in the
State to find q suitable location. Last
night the reporter obtained an intro.
duction to this gentleman, and learned
from him the result of his labors. His
name is A. H. Pickering, and he is
President of the Publishing Association
of Friends, of Chicago, an institution
publishing nine religious papers, of
which the Christian Yorker is the prin.
cipal. Mr.. Pickering is gentleman of
unusual height, six feet and a half in
his stocking feet; of an energetic end
strong appearance, though the grey
locks betray that he has passed the
period of youth. His energy will be
easily shown by the following answer,
in reply to the reporters query as to the
extent of his travels while in Californis.
Said Mr.. Pickering. II arrived in
California on the 10th of February, and
since that time have travelled unremit.
tingly. investigated the Sacramento
valley, the San Joaquin valley, Kern
county, Santa Barbara county, Ventura,
San Bernardino, San Diego. the north
ern part of Lower California, including
Ensenada, and travelled most all the
time by team. About three weeks ago
/ came to Los Angeles county, and
making this city and Pasadena my head
quarters, have made excursions day after
day in search of the kind of place we
wanted for our colony. Los Angeles
pleased me better than any other spot I
have yet visited, and I concluded that if
a ranch suitable for our colony could he
obtained here ought not to mind
little exertion and fatigue to discover it.
l hunted considerably, and finally found
place that, in my eyes. has all the
qualifications. The soil and climate are
unsurpassed. Yes, sir! have selected
ths John M. Thomas ranch. It lies
aboutthirteen miles from Los Angeles,
in southeasterly direction. is but four
miles from Norwalk, en- the Southern
Pacific railroad, and is within two miles
Of the Atchison, Topeka aud Santa Fe
track, now being built through the
Santa Ana cafion. have ascertuined
that there is good prospect that the
road will run through the ranch. The
place is within two miles of the ia.
nous sulphur spring known as the Full
ton Wells"
Mr.. Pickering added that he had asso.
ciated with him men of unquestioned
standing among the Society OF Friends.
most of them members thereof, some of
them residents for some years past of
Southern California, and therefore espe-
oially qualified to assist in the location
of colony of this character. He men
toned Jonathan Bailey, of Los Angeles,
formerly of Ohio; William H. Coffin, of
Pasadena, formerly of Lawrence, Kan.
Elwood Newlin, of Lawrence, Kan;
John Il. Painter, of Pasadena, and
Rervey Lindley, of Los Angeles.
These men will Immediately subdivide
the tract into five, ten and twenty.acre
lots, after first selecting about 100 acres
for town site. "
Mr.. Pickering said he would return to
Chicago soon and give his assistance and
experience to over fifty families tnat are
desirous of coming out, to get on their
way here. Jonathan Baily will move out
upon the tract at once and prepare
it for their reception, while the business
management will be left with Hervey
Iindley at Los Angeles.
The class of colonists, which it is Mr..
Pickering's desire to introduce here, is
most desirable, as the Quakers are
noted for their honorable dealing, and
their universal thrift.
Mr.. Pickering himself is not stran.
ger to many in this country, having
spent the winter of rs and '76 here.
He has been member of the Chicago
Board of Trade for years, and is well
known throughout the country. On his
own part, he says, he is pleased more
than ever with the country and will ar.
range his affairs to make this place his
future home.
The colony has been organized under
the title Of the Pickering Land and
Water Company, with capital of
$500, 900, of which $4,000 is sub
scrlbed; of this amount A. H. Pick er.
ing takes $4,000 John II. Painter.
$4,000; Fordyce Grinnell, $2l, 900;
Eleazer Andrews, S2l. 900; Jonathan
Bailey, $4,000; Elwood Newlin, $2l,-
600; Milton Lindley, $2l, 900; Hervey
Lindley. 2l,eOO. Jonathan Bailey
is President, and Hervey Lindley
secretary, Treasurer and Business Man.
ager.
The "Thomas Ranch" was purchased
from Messrs. Birch and Boal, who had
purchased it themselves about one year
ago from MIR. Thomas. 1t lies immed-
lately at the foot hills and owns it's own
water supply. 1t is within full view of
the Ocean, Los Angeles City and the
surrounding towns, and is on the main
travelled road between the Quaker set.
tlement of Pasadena and Modena, and
about midway between the two. On a
portion of the land asphaltum for paving
and sidewalks as well as brea for fuel is
found, besides this there are strong in
dications of petroleum. There can be
but little doubt that oil will be found
since the tract is in the same range of
hills from which the famous Purente
| oil wells obtain their supply.
Mr.. Pickering says that most of the
Quaker families that are coming are
from Iowa, Kansas, Indiana and Illinois,
with few from the East. He hopes
that by fall fifty families, numbering
about 25O people, will have arrived at
the colony and that others will follow
until Spring, when all the land of the
Friends" settlement will be taken up.
There are already several families on the
road now.